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Antoxerene Closes $10 Million Deal with Juvenescence to Develop Small Molecule Drugs for Diseases of Aging

Published: Jul 12, 2018

Antoxerene, Inc., a portfolio company of Ichor Therapeutics, Inc., focused on small molecule drug discovery for pathways of aging, announced today the launch of a joint venture with Juvenescence Limited. The joint venture, called FoxBio, Inc., will develop Antoxerene’s collection of small molecules that target senescent cells. Juvenescence will support the venture with $10 million in equity financing and drug development expertise.

“There has been a lot of interest surrounding the therapeutic applications of senolytic drugs – compounds that clear toxic senescent cells – particularly with respect to age-associated disease” said Kelsey Moody, CEO at Antoxerene. “As molecular pathways unique to senescent cells have begun to be identified, we can now develop drugs to target these pathways. We are eager to work with the Juvenescence team, whose experience in drug development, technical depth, and visionary leadership will help us to deliver on the immense potential of this field.”

Commenting on this deal, CEO of Juvenescence Dr Bailey said, “this is one of the main focuses of Juvenescence - modify aging through the clearance of senescent cells”. He added, “FoxBio plays to both companies’ strengths, which is why we are excited about working with the Antoxerene team. We are fascinated with the Antoxerene platform and its ability to discover intriguing compounds in the area of senescence. This is a great fit with Juvenescence’s track record in drug development, so FoxBio is a very exciting new company in the area of longevity.”

“We feel privileged to have received such staunch support for this program from its inception by our founding investors, including Kizoo Technology Capital, and several angels moving forward Kizoo will be a founding shareholder of FoxBio”, said Aaron Wolfe, COO at Antoxerene. “These are exciting next steps towards developing targeted small molecule senolytics, and we are grateful to partner with Juvenescence.”

Dr Declan Doogan, CSO of Juvenescence, said, "I believe the Antoxerene platform is an exciting addition to the burgeoning Juvenescence portfolio. The synergies between this platform and our other technologies are clear, as we endeavor to tackle fundamental processes involved in aging. The Antoxerene and Juvenescence teams have tremendous opportunities to work together on these huge challenges."

About Antoxerene:
Antoxerene, Inc., a portfolio company of Ichor Therapeutics, is a small molecule drug discovery platform. Founded in 2016, the company has largely focused on small molecule discovery through the study of protein-protein interactions that drive the survival of toxic senescent cells, which have been implicated in the onset and progression of several age-associated diseases. The company works to identify and develop novel compounds to selectively destroy these cells and restore tissue function.

About Juvenescence:
Juvenescence Limited is an investment company focused on therapies to increase human longevity and complementary investments in related sectors. It was founded in 2017 by Jim Mellon, Greg Bailey, Declan Doogan, Anthony Chow, and Alexander Pickett. The Juvenescence team are highly experienced entrepreneurs and investors with a significant focus on the life science and commercial drug development sectors. Juvenescence creates new ventures and invests directly in both startup and established longevity related companies while offering strategic advice and operational support.

Juvenescence believes that advances in science have made real the possibility of slowing, halting or potentially reversing some elements of ageing. Juvenescence believes that the resulting increase in life expectancy will have profound implications on all sectors and in particular healthcare, education, insurance and leisure.

About Ichor Therapeutics:
Ichor Therapeutics, Inc. is a premier, vertically integrated contract research organization that provides pre-clinical research services for aging pathways. Proceeds from this work are used to support R&D initiatives that constitute Ichor’s portfolio companies in small molecule drug discovery (Antoxerene, Inc.), enzyme therapy (Lysoclear, Inc.), antibody mimetics (Auctus Biologics, Inc.), and protein engineering (RecombiPure, Inc.). Ichor and its portfolio companies operate from its corporate offices and research laboratories in rural LaFayette, NY. The company is eager to engage collaborators in the life science industry and in academia who share its vision of delivering next generation therapies for the illnesses of aging.